Educative Purposes
by merryfortune
Summary: Hikaru demonstrates to Lala various types of Earthling kisses, for purely educative purposes, of course.


**Educative Purposes**

"What's that, lun?" Lala asked, eyes widening, as she pointed to the television.

Her body lifted slightly beneath the blanket that she and Hikaru had been sharing. They were having a movie marathon because Hikaru thought it would be fun and Lala thought it had the potential to be educational. Through fiction, she figured that she would come to learn more of Earth – and Japan's – customs.

Hikaru hummed as she lifted herself off the floor as well. She scooted in closer, feeling a little chill in the air, one she had escaped from rather successfully by sharing her bed and blankets with Lala as they watched the movies on her miniature television her parents had allowed her to borrow for the night.

"You mean the kiss, right?" Hikaru asked for clarification as she paused the movie, she re-wound it a few seconds and now the male and female protagonists were eternally locked on the lips until Hikaru permitted them to stop.

"Yes, lun. The kiss, lun." Lala said. "It seems awfully unhygienic, lun. After all, that's where the food goes, lun. Why mash faces together like that, lun?"

Hikaru laughed. "Because its romantic!" she squealed. "Well… not when you phrase it like that. It does sound a little icky when you put it that way but I'm sure the actors brushed their teeth beforehand."

Lala still screwed up her face in disgust. Hikaru laughed some more, she thought the way Lala's nose wrinkled was rather cute. She pouted in turn though, disliking that Hikaru was finding some sort of amusement in the situation when she could not.

"So, is kissing a common Earth custom, lun?" Lala asked.

"Hm, I guess so. I hear that some cultures don't have kissing at all, but many do." Hikaru replied. "Like, kissing in public is bit of a no-no but in foreign movies, especially American ones, it's not as taboo. Like, there are different kinds of kisses, too."

"Hm…" Lala hummed. "Like what sort, lun? Are they all as unhygienic as this mouth-to-mouth contact business, lun?"

"Uh, well… Kisses on the forehead, on the cheek, on your hands… They all mean different things too. Mouth-to-mouth kissing is restricted to couples, mostly – especially with tongue!" Hikaru chirruped before dissolving into laughter which her alien companion didn't understand the humour of.

"Disgusting, lun." Lala's skin crawled.

Hikaru laughed. "Ne, ne, can I kiss you Lala?"

"What, lun?" Lala exclaimed, eyebrows twinged, and her mouth hung agape.

"Like I said. All sorts of kisses. Like for instance, a kiss on the cheek is platonic! For friends. And we're friends right, let me welcome you to Earth with some good old fashion Earthling kisses." Hikaru said.

Lala prickled. "It could help me understand Earth culture better, lun…" she mumbled. She huffed. "Very well then, lun."

She angled her face towards Hikaru. Hikaru grinned widely and she chastely pecked Lala's cheeks. She was surprised by how soft Lala's skin was but, Hikaru could feel some sort of dander on her lips; it felt chalky. Meanwhile, Lala was miffed by how wet Hikaru's lips were and there was a rather fruity smell on her, Lala now realised about Hikaru. Hikaru leaned back and gave Lala space to process it. She placed her fingers on her cheeks.

"I suppose that wasn't too bad, lun…" she mumbled.

"Aw, I'm glad, Lala." Hikaru smiled. "And forehead kisses are usually done between family members, as a sort of "I love you" and I love you a lot as well, Lala. Do you love me?"

Lala blushed. She didn't understand how Hikaru could use such phrases so freely and with such an open heart. But she relented.

"Very well then, lun." she replied. "I – I lo-love you too, lun."

"D'aww, thank you very much." Hikaru said.

Lala leaned in again, angling her face downwards this time. Hikaru pecked her forehead, right between the brows. This time, she felt slightly bolder. The kiss was chaste, but it lasted a few seconds longer. She could feel Lala radiate with the warmth of embarrassment as she later withdrew herself from Lala's personal space.

"Did you like that one?" Hikaru asked.

"I did, actually, lun. I feel very loved in a very Earthling way, now, lun." Lala replied.

"That's so good." Hikaru exclaimed. "And, um, what other kisses are there…? Oh! Some people kiss on the ears!"

"Ears, lun?!" Lala gasped and she panickily covered her ears.

Hikaru laughed. "Yep, a kiss on the ears is another "I love you" type kiss, but I guess all kisses convey "I love you" one way or another… But I think ear kisses are platonic. I think it depends on the person. I think so long as the other person likes it, it should be fine."

"I have very sensitive ears, Hikaru, lun. Don't be so selfish, lun." Lala complained. But she relaxed. "Fine, very well then, lun."

"Thank you, Lala." Hikaru beamed.

This time, Hikaru came closer to Lala. She brushed her lips up against Lala's pointed ears. She was surprised by how firm the cartilage was, maybe it was because of the unusual shape. Lala shivered at the touch, however light and then withdrew immediately. Hikaru smiled and gave Lala space again. Lala hugged herself and she was going a rather bright red.

"Are you okay?" Hikaru asked.

"I'm just embarrassed, lun." Lala confessed, her voice was hasty.

Hikaru blinked. "Embarrassed?" she echoed.

"Yes, lun. Embarrassed, lun. We don't do this sort of thing on my home planet, lun. B-But I wish we did, so I wouldn't feel this way, lun. My heart is racing very, very hard but it's nice, lun. You kiss very well, Hikaru, lun. I – I want to be kissed by you more, lun."

"I want to kiss you more as well." Hikaru replied.

"Wh-What other sorts of kisses are there on Earth, lun?" Lala replied, glancing away from her companion.

"Hm, well, there are also respectful kisses. A kiss on the hand is considered more respectful than as a platonic, familial, or romantic gesture. It's the sort of thing done between princess and princes." Hikaru said.

Upon hearing that, Lala held out her hand. Hikaru held onto it gently, their fingers gliding against one another's. Hikaru's fingers were so long and slender compared to Lala's. Her fingers were rather short and stubby, the webbing on them more pronounced as well. Hikaru partially wondered if it was because Lala's antennae had more bodily significance than her hands.

Hikaru brushed her mouth over Lala's knuckles. Her hands stiffened slightly before relaxing. Hikaru smiled into the kiss, a slow and sensual act. Lala was almost sad when Hikaru lifted up her head again, so she could flash another smile unto Lala's face. Lala mutedly returned the sentiment; there was a sparkle in her eyes though which betrayed her more guarded expression.

"You're my princess, Lala." Hikaru told Lala in a gentle, almost hushed voice. "My space princess from beyond the milky way."

Lala smiled and she had to clamp down on a bubble of laughter in her mouth. "You're my space princess, as well, Hikaru, from the beautiful blue planet, lun." she replied.

"There's really only one common type of kiss left, Lala." Hikaru informed her.

"A kiss on the mouth, lun… Yes?" Lala confirmed, her brows knitted together in what was either seriousness or disgust.

"A-yup." Hikaru nodded. "But, if you don't want to, you don't ha-"

Lala clamped one hand onto Hikaru's shoulders and then completed the distance. Hikaru made a smothered noise, her eyes widening as Lala ardently kissed her, but she let her lips close more partially. She closed her eyes to Lala and kissed back. She had never kissed someone on the lips before, but it was extremely and extraordinarily exciting. Her nerves felt frantic. Sparked alight by the sensations, or maybe just because Lala had decided to hold onto Hikaru as well using her antennae and they were inadvertently sending shocks into her, but she didn't mind.

Lala's kiss was forceful, but awkward. Hikaru liked it though. It was kind of silly, yet very her. So, she kissed back into the mess. She kept her lips tightened together as she pressed against Lala's. In this close proximity, Hikaru could smell Lala quite distinctly. She smelt completely unearthly, like nothing Hikaru could describe using words that she knew on Earth.

But, fortunately, Hikaru could smell – and even taste – on Lala which were identifiable to her arsenal of descriptions. She could smell her blanket on Lala, the wafting fragrance of the laundry soap as it had been washed this morning in preparation of her and Lala's movie night. Hikaru could also vaguely taste the popcorn and doughnuts they had been eating throughout the movie. She thought that all these smells and tastes would be funny to experience all mashed up in a kiss, but she was pleasantly wrong. What a wonderful thing to discover.

In the back of her mind, as Hikaru kissed Lala, she wondered if the alien girl was having similar thoughts.

And, unsurprisingly, Lala was having similar about the alien – the earthling – girl before her. She thought Hikaru was strange. Very strange. This was very much conveyed in how they kissed: mouth to mouth, as bizarre and unhygienic as it was. Hikaru was very soft and she wore strawberry lip balm. Hikaru's essence which Lala found by connecting with her like this, was composed of many easily identifiable substances to Lala: carbon, oxygen, carbon-dioxide, and so many more elements and how they all stacked upon each other to make a human. Specifically, the human known as Hoshina Hikaru whom Lala was swiftly falling in love with. But it was completely and totally different when their mouths were pressed up against each other like this.

And most curiously of all, Lala actually quite liked it. But she supposed that was what the chemical known as love did. It erased all the icky bits and made her yearn for more, even when she pulled back and finally ended the kiss. Lala panted slightly when their lips parted from one another. Hikaru was breathless and her magenta eyes keenly shined. Lala felt her guts all squirm against each other; she flexed her fingers and blushed. Her antennae tentatively floating upwards not unlike shoulders turning to hackles.

"That was, um, that was unprecedented, lun…" Lala murmured.

"More like… twin-cool!" Hikaru replied, gleeful and grinning and in her catch phrase, all the beats she had missed exploded since she could rarely go two seconds without uttering it.

Lala smiled awkwardly. "I'm flattered to hear that, lun."

"We should kiss more often than, Lala." Hikaru smugly said through a huge and toothy grin.

"I don't disagree, lun." Lala replied, demure and uppity and in denial of her truer feelings.

"Then how about one more kiss? Just one." Hikaru suggest.

Lala was scandalised by the question. She sputtered with her eyes widening. She couldn't believe there were yet more places to kiss and be kissed. They had done hands, ears, mouths, cheeks, foreheads: it was all too much!

"W-Where, lun?" Lala stuttered.

Hikaru giggled as she raised a hand to Lala. Her fingers entwined on the thin thread which connected Lala's sensory orbs to her head. Lala's heart skipped a beat whilst Hikaru guided them to her mouth. Lala licked her lips then swallowed as this kiss elicited more in her than any of the previous kisses.

The mouth-to-mouth one had inspired courage and bravado. The kisses previous had inspired curiosity amongst other things. But this kiss was simply electric. There was a twinkle of mischief in Hikaru's eyes as she pressed her lips delicately against the orbs, which had a gelatine-like feel to them, which decorated the ends of her antennae.

Lala's face reddened and her heart beat pounded harder than it had ever pounded before. "O-Oh, lun…" she mumbled, stuttering through her growing infatuation. "Th-There, lun."

"Yep, right there." Hikaru replied. Her gaze quickly darted away from Lala who was the perfect picture of cuteness. "Did you like it…?"

"Loved it, lun. We should experiment more, lun. F-For educative purposes, of course, lun."

Hikaru laughed. "Yeah, for educational purposes, for sure."

There was a sort of sarcasm was pronounced in her voice, but Lala liked it. Lala liked it a lot. And Hikaru liked that a lot, as well. Her lips tingled in an electrified grin which Lala shyly met with her antennae shyly reaching back out to Hikaru's hand.

"Should we keep watching the movie?" Hikaru awkwardly asked.

"That sounds nice, lun. Especially now that I have a more thorough understanding of these Earth customs, I can better appreciate the nuance, lun."

"Sounds good to me." Hikaru replied, sounding chuffed.

So, she and Lala settled again after all that kissing. They shared the blankets between one another and Hikaru grabbed another bag of chocolates for them to tear into. She smiled as she brushed up against Lala, who was comfortable again beside Hikaru beneath the soft, weighted fabric of the blanket. Hikaru pressed play and the movie night continued without hitch.


End file.
